Good Enough
by xxDustNight88
Summary: Watching the rain pouring outside reminds him of that fateful night when he painfully realized she is too good for him and that he will never have her.


Hello, all! I wrote this little ol' thang for the 2019 Drizzle Fest. I had a lot of fun participating and I hope that you enjoy it! Thanks for reading, loves! xxDustNight

Huge thanks to my beta, GaeilgeRua! I don't know what I would do without you! xx

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Prompt: Watching the rain pouring outside reminds him of that fateful night when he painfully realized she is too good for him and that he will never have her. (Draco/Hermione)

* * *

It had started raining the day before yesterday and was still coming down in cauldrons. The weather matched Draco's mood more than ever. It'd been five long years since that fateful night, and yet it haunted him still. As the rain continued to pour, Draco's heart ached with yearning for her.

Staring out the window in his new, but meager flat in London, Draco wondered why he even bothered most days. He'd left the manor and his family behind with the hope that she would notice, but she hadn't. Granted, they didn't hang in the same social circles, but still.

Draco had fallen for Hermione at some point after the war. He couldn't exactly pinpoint the exact moment, but he knew in his heart that there was something about her that completed him. They'd attended classes so they could pass their NEWTS and even were in the same rooms when the Daily Prophet had interviewed everyone after the war.

She'd spoken to him briefly, but he would always remember the words that she said…

"_Thank you, Draco," Hermione said quietly as she prepared to leave the interviews. "For not giving away Harry's identity, I mean. I know you couldn't stop your aunt from torturing me, but I appreciate you not joining her." Then she had smiled, nodded, and left him alone._

Perhaps that had been the moment he fell in love with the former bushy-haired know-it-all. Who knew? All that Draco knew now was that he loved her, and she was not meant to be his. Even shedding his family and former lifestyle wasn't enough to change that. He would never be good enough for the Gryffindor princess. She was light and pure, and he was dark and broken.

A few months after the interviews, Draco saw her again at the classes required to take his NEWTS. She'd sat up front just like she always did in school, only now she kept to herself. There was no hand waving in the air to answer every question the professors asked of them. Hermione simply kept her head down, taking notes and flipping through their texts. It was a miracle Draco managed to pass at all considering how much time he spent focused on Hermione rather than his own studies.

At the end of the classes, after they'd all taken their exams and passed, Hermione had spoken to him yet again…

"_Good luck in the future, Draco," Hermione said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Do some good in the world." _

Draco had tried to take her words seriously. Instead of returning to the manor and hiding away like his father and mother were doing, he packed up a few trunks of his most beloved belongings and moved into his own flat. Pansy, Blaise, and Theo would occasionally come and visit, but they all had their own lives to rebuild too. Draco began volunteering at St. Mungo's, wanting to aid his fellow wizarding kind as best he could.

Placing his hand flat against the cold surface of the glass, Draco watches the rain as it blurred his reflection from the outside. He couldn't help but recall the last time Hermione spoke to him… Five years ago now… It was a benefit dinner for St. Mungo's and Hermione had attended for one reason or another. That was the night he would never forget. It was seared in his mind more so than the Dark Mark on his arm.

It was raining that night just as it was now and Draco had wandered outside to stand underneath the hospital awning. There were so many people inside the hospital cafeteria that he was starting to feel claustrophobic. All he needed was a few minutes of fresh air to himself, and he'd be refreshed to rejoin the festivities. At the sound of the doors opening, Draco remembered glancing over his shoulder and being stunned to find walking toward him.

"_I thought you might like a glass of punch," Hermione said softly as she stopped beside him._

_He'd turned to face her properly, his lips slightly parted in surprise. "Thank you," he managed to say as he accepted the cup she now held out to him. He took a sip and then stared into the cup for a brief moment._

"_I didn't poison it, Draco," Hermione said and then actually giggled. She held a hand over her lips as she continued to laugh._

_Draco smiled, the moment of awkwardness broken. Clearing his throat as her laughter subsided, he asked, "How have you been?"_

_Hermione shrugged one shoulder, a frown tugging at her lips now. "I suppose I have been alright. At least, I've been as best as I could be, you know?"_

_Draco did know. He took another sip and relished the quiet comfort Hermione provided him. Just beyond the safety of the awning, the rain continued to pour. "I volunteer here," Draco supplied before the silence could turn uncomfortable._

"_I saw your name on the plaque inside the main lobby. That's really great, Draco. I'm glad you're doing some good in the world," Hermione told him. Then, she did something surprising. _

_Hermione grabbed hold of his free hand and squeezed. "Look, I have to go back inside and find Kingsley, but it was nice catching up with you. Stay well," she finished before letting go of his hand and heading for the door._

_Draco watched her go in a daze, barely managing to lift his hand in a wave of goodbye as she disappeared back through the hospital doors. Finishing his punch, Draco walked back inside and left the rain behind him for the warmth the building provided. Inside, he glanced around in search of Hermione and spotted her talking animatedly with Kingsley, Potter, and Weasley. A frown pulled at his lips, and a sadness enveloped his heart._

_It was in that moment that Draco knew that Hermione was far too good for him. Despite the changes he'd made in his life, a witch like Hermione would never want to be with him. Tossing his empty cup into the rubbish, Draoc had turned and left the party. His heart was no longer willing to put on a happy facade for the evening. As he headed back out into the pouring rain, Draco had stollen one last glimpse of Hermione's smiling face. _

That had been five years ago now, and he'd not run into her again. Word around the pub was that she travelled a lot for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Draco tried not to keep up with the gossip about her too much. It only made him feel down about himself. Instead, he threw himself into his work with St. Mungo's. Being head of their Volunteer and Public Relations department kept him rather busy these days.

Until now, that was. He'd taken a week off to try and bring himself to visit his parents, but had yet to make it to the manor. Instead, Draco found himself staring out the window into rain and having a bit of a pity party instead. How were you supposed to get over someone that you never even had the chance to be with at all?

Sighing at his stupidity, Draco let his hand fall away from the window and turned to head toward the kitchen. He was about to make himself some tea and try and forget that rainy night all those years ago when a knock broke shattered the silence of the flat. Frowning, Draco veered in the opposite direction and opened the door only to stumble back a step.

"Granger?" he managed to say, completely taken aback by her presence before him. It looked as if Hermione had walked through the rain to get here. On second thought, she probably had seeing as he didn't have a fireplace. Her curls were plastered to her head from the rain, and her jumper and jeans were soaked through as well. "What are you doing at my flat?"

"I thought you would come after me," she said instead of answering.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the very witch he'd just been thinking about was now standing before him like some bloody fairytale.

"At that benefit dinner. I thought you would find me later and ask me to have a drink or dinner or something," Hermione explained as water dripped from the ends of her curls onto the carpet at their feet.

Something clicked inside Draco at that, and he very quickly realized that maybe, just maybe, Hermione had feelings for him too. Shaking his head, he said, "I didn't think you wanted me to… I thought- I'm not good enough for you, Granger."

Hermione shook her head. "You've always been good enough for me. The past doesn't matter anymore, Draco. What matters is that I forgave you a long time ago for your indiscretions. We were children then. Think about it for a second. If I didn't think you were good enough for me, would I be standing on your doorstep right now?"

She had a point. Why else would someone walk through a downpour just to visit someone they hated? Since the war, Hermione had gone out of her way to make him feel like he mattered. Maybe he was good enough? Heart hammering in his chest, Draco decided to take a chance on what she was offering him.

Holding out his hand, Draco asked, "Do you want to come inside? I was just about to make some tea."

Smiling and taking his hand, Hermione said, "I would love that, Draco."

It felt good to intertwine their fingers, and as Hermione's eyes met his, he knew she felt it too. This was right, and yes, he was good enough for her. Gently pulling her inside, Draco closed the door and opened his heart on a bright and hopeful future.


End file.
